President Trump has signed a slew of executive orders since returning to office earlier this week.
One of the executive orders recently signed by President Donald Trump is set to bring significant changes to federal policies, particularly affecting non-binary individuals and their ability to obtain passports reflecting their gender identity. This decision, part of Trump’s sweeping initiatives since his return to the White House, has sparked widespread concern among LGBTQ+ advocates and civil rights organizations.
Trump, who resumed office earlier this week, wasted no time implementing his agenda. Within hours of his inauguration, the president signed over 200 executive orders, targeting a wide range of issues including employment, climate change, and immigration. Among the most controversial of these is an order titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
This order has profound implications for non-binary individuals, particularly those who previously benefited from the ability to select an “X” gender marker on their passports—a policy introduced during the Biden administration.
The Executive Order and Its Key Provisions
The executive order enforces a strict binary definition of gender, recognizing only male and female as valid categories based on biological sex assigned at birth. This definition extends to all federal documentation, including passports, birth certificates, and other identification.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an email obtained by The Guardian, outlined the immediate impact of the policy. He stated, “The policy of the United States is that an individual’s sex is not changeable,” and directed staff to ensure that “sex, and not gender, shall be used” on official documents. As a result, all passport applications requesting an “X” gender marker have been frozen, effective immediately.
